Illinois QB is much improved as passer

Illinois coach Ron Zook could hardly believe his eyes when he saw sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase throwing the football during preseason camp.

Todd Jones, The Columbus Dispatch

Illinois coach Ron Zook could hardly believe his eyes when he saw sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase throwing the football during preseason camp.

"I said, 'Holy gosh, is that the same guy?''' Zook said this week on the Big Ten coaches' media conference call.

Last season, Scheelhaase had set an Illinois record for most rushing yards by a freshman and most by a quarterback when he ran for 868. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry while scoring five rushing touchdowns.

But the Illinois coaching staff wanted him to improve his passing after he completed 58.7 percent of his throws for 1,825 yards and 17 TDs as a freshman.

"Night and day," is how Zook said Scheelhaase looks now passing the ball compared to last season. "He's a completely different thrower."

Scheelhaase increased his arm strength in the offseason by throwing more, and now the dual-threat from Kansas City is a big reason why Illinois is ranked No. 24 and off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1951.

"Scheelhaase is as good a quarterback as there is in our conference," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Northwestern will get a boost when it plays at Illinois today with the return of their own star quarterback, Dan Persa, who has missed the last six games dating back to last Nov. 13 when he ruptured his right Achilles' tendon.

Fitzgerald said Persa will play today, although how much is uncertain.

Scheelhaase, 6 foot 3 and 195 pounds, wasn't as precise of a passer last season as Persa, completion percentage of 73.5 led the nation and set a Big Ten single-season record.

His freshman debut against Missouri was marred by three interceptions, and he threw three more picks at Michigan State on Oct. 16. However, Scheelhaase has improved ever since that game against the Spartans.

In Illinois' final seven games in 2010, Scheelhaase had only one interception and threw 13 touchdown passes. He completed a career-best 18 passes – including his first 13 of the game – on 23 attempts for a career-high 242 yards in a Texas Bowl win over Baylor.

The improvement has carried over from rigorous off-season workouts. Scheelhaase currently ranks second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin's ballyhooed Russell Wilson with a pass efficiency mark of 116.2. He's completed 47 of 66 passes for 637 yards, four TDs and two interceptions.

Scheelhaase completed 14 of 20 passes for 133 yards and one TD last week in a 23-20 win over Western Michigan.

"He's developed a little faster than I thought he would," Zook said. "He'll make mistakes, but one thing Nathan has done is learn from those mistakes and not make them again. He's such a great leader and competitor. Guys rally around him. They know he'll do anything it takes to win."

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